


Too close for comfort

by PoisonJack



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, General au, Hurt/Comfort, Jack gets to play hero against bandit-caused bullshit, M/M, Near Death Experiences, hnnnngh but that angst hnnng it angsty so good, i guess, why do I keep putting rhysie in the hospital?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 00:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5846857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoisonJack/pseuds/PoisonJack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An explosion at one of Hyperion's weapons facilities on Pandora rips through the building. Rhys ends up crushed beneath some ceiling and bleeding internally while Jack gets him out. </p><p>For the muse sentence prompts on tumblr: "I'm dying."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Too close for comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoying that muse prompt list immensely :) I don't think I've ever posted so many fics as I have in this week alone :O 
> 
> Also I've been stressed out of my mind and this IS my personal brand of catharsis so like, there's always that hahaha

The explosion had rocked through the facility, smoke and debris and rubble flying everywhere. There were gunshots and yelling coupled with the alarm’s shrill screech in Rhys’ ears, and his vision was impaired by the thick dust in the air, Jack’s hand on his arm as the man angrily shouted out orders and asked what the hell was going on.

Then he was on his back, pain shooting through him so intense he wondered why he wasn’t going into shock and passing out. Tinnitus rung in his ears and he heard more yelling, this time orders and commands; the voices of Hyperion soldiers. He couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing, everything in his vision gray. What had happened? Wasn’t he standing just a moment ago? He didn't know how he'd ended up like this.

He heard his name being called, muffled. Turned his head to see more gray which he realized was concrete. Something had fallen on him. He was pinned, he realized. He couldn’t move, and he thought he might have called out, but all that came from his throat was a groan of pain.

He didn’t know how long he was under there, but he did know that his hearing slowly came back and everything got clearer even as it got harder to understand. The sharp trill of the sirens was still ringing, but the gunfire had gotten quieter, distant. Jack's men handling the situation, whatever it was. He thought he heard his name again, and then some shuffling off to his right.

Jack’s face, peering in at him from a weird angle. He had blood dripping down his mask, hair in disarray, eyes wild with fury. It was a good look on him, Rhys thought.

“I’ve got you, stay still, I’ll get you out.”

 _As if I’m going anywhere,_ Rhys thought. A spike of pain shot through him as Jack removed whatever it was that was crushing him. The gray was removed from his vision, pain lancing through him bodily.

He tried to move and realized he couldn’t feel his legs. He couldn’t move his right arm either, he realized. The cybernetics weren't responding.

Jack was suddenly above and behind him, the older man hooking arms under Rhys’ shoulders and pulling him along the floor. The older man was covered in a fine layer of dust from the explosion.

From his vantage point, Rhys realized he could see sky. Ah, so it was the ceiling that had been on him. He looked to his right arm, the cybernetics all mangled and sparking. _That's_ why he couldn't move it. He didn’t know why he didn’t feel that. It was something he felt he should have been aware of.

The pain in his abdomen spiked through him, stealing his breath while Jack muttered and dragged him just a wee bit further. Rhys could see down the length of his own body as Jack tugged, didn’t see any blood. But it felt like someone was churning a rusty screw inside him. Internal bleeding?

“I’m dying.” His voice was full of shock. He knew he was right. Jack’s grip under his shoulders tightened.

“Shut up. You’re not dying.”

The panic in Jack’s voice told him all he needed to know. There was something wrong, something not immediately apparent to him. He couldn’t see blood, but there was that definite sense of something very very wrong. It was only verified by the look in Jack’s eyes. He must be hurt worse than he understood.

A nervous laugh left him. _Shock_ , his brain supplied. “I’m actually dying,” he spoke in realization.

“I told you to shut up,” Jack ordered as he was laying Rhys on the ground. “Where the hell is my medic?!” He yelled behind him.

A drop of the blood which was splattered on Jack’s face dropped onto his cheek. He was watching Jack as his panic increased. He couldn’t move his legs, he realized, and he was having trouble seeing. His echoeye must have been damaged in the explosion too. It was on the fritz, vision blinking in and out.

Jack’s expression changed above him as the man looked from whatever he was doing to Rhys’ face. “No no no pumpkin you hold on! Look at me.” Jack was removing a syringe from his jacket, uncapping it and stabbing it somewhere into Rhys. He didn’t even feel it. “Hey! I told you to look at me.”

Jack’s heart was in his throat beating out of control as Rhys’ echoeye kept blinking out, the light brilliant then dying. He told him to keep looking at him as Rhys was having trouble focusing. Thoughts within his grasp eluded him as he tried to pay attention. Jack threatened the younger man, screamed death for his medic if he didn’t hurry, and just took Rhys’ face between both his palms. 

“Rhysie, listen. You close those eyes and you’re never waking up again. Because I’ll kill you. With my own two hands. You got that cupcake? _Hold on_.”

Rhys’ echoeye lit up and blinked out again before the younger man couldn’t see out either eye anymore, Jack’s voice becoming a distant sound as everything went splotchy then dark.

–

Rhys came to in a hospital bed, though he wasn’t sure if he was still on Pandora or Helios or somewhere else entirely. All he knew was he felt oddly light on his right side, and he wasn’t in any pain. He wasn't dead, so he must be pumped full of painkillers.

Movement caught Jack’s eye and he was immediately at Rhys’ side, eyes roving as the younger man became coherent. “Rhysie?”

“…the hell did my arm go?” he asked as he realized the cybernetic appendage was completely gone, missing. 

“Fucking asshole….” Jack muttered, peppering his face in kisses gently, ever so gently, touching his forehead to the younger man’s before encircling his arms around Rhys’ waist and sliding down. His torso was over Rhys’ legs, and head in the younger man’s lap as he rubbed his face into the covers, gripping firm but gently. “Scared the shit out of me. I’m too young to have a heart attack.”

Rhys exhaled on a smile, dragging shaky fingers though Jack’s dirty hair. He closed his eyes, just feeling Jack’s warmth and pressure on his thighs. He could feel the older man turning his head to face Rhys; felt his eyes on him though he didn’t say anything. 

“…I hate Pandora,” Rhys murmured. Jack just threaded his fingers with Rhys’ hand, not replying, not agreeing or making vows of revenge, just grateful he’d pulled through. There was plenty to say, and plenty of time to say it later.

For now, he just watched him until the younger man fell back asleep. He remained close thereafter.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still getting through my inbox from that list of muse sentence prompts on tumblr (when I should be updating one of the omegaverse fics here hahahaaaa sorry) O_O not sure I'll get to all the requests. Some though have screamed out at me and I start writing right then haha :) That's the best kind of stress relief, all fun and zero thinking :D
> 
> Come say hey or drop me a line or whatnot :) http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com


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